At the Edge of Black Lake
by Rhianna-Jade
Summary: How far would you go for love? A re-telling of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'.


Zooming through the clear water of Black Lake, Ginevra stopped to take account of her surroundings. She gave a quick look over her shoulder, unable to see the lanky form she was fleeing, before weaving around a group of rocks and diving down to conceal herself amongst a sheet of grindylows.

Moments later she caught sight of her pursuer passing above and gave a gentle flip of her fins to withdraw from her hiding place. She quietly swam toward him as he called out to her.

"Gin? Oh, Gin? I'm going to find you."

Taking that as her cue, she surged forward and wrapped her hands over his eyes, anchoring her forearms on the side of his head.

"Gin!" He tried in vain to swish her off, but she held fast.

Mere seconds later two loud howls of laughter were heard from behind them. One of the voices called out, "Well look at that? It seems our dear brother …"

"… has been bested by our little sister…" the second voice filled in.

"… again!" chimed both.

Releasing her hold, Ginevra gave an affectionate ruffle to the head of red hair in front of her, and joined in laughing with her twin brothers Fred and George.

"You always fall for that Ron," she said. "Someday you'll learn."

Before he had time to retaliate, Ginevra swam off into the lake calling back over her shoulder, "I'll see you lot at dinner!"

Hearing the calls of objection to her swimming off alone, Ginevra simply whipped her fins faster. And to ensure they wouldn't try to follow, she hushed their complaints with a shouted reply of, "I'm going to meet Lycus!"

Born into an upstanding family of merpeople, Ginevra adored her large family. But sometimes, they were a bit overwhelming.

She'd once been on her way to growing up a spoiled princess. Her parent's seventh child, and the only girl, she was her father's pride and her mother's joy. That path took a turn when she reached the tender age of three. Her mother suddenly became very ill and passed away. With her death came a shifting of the path Ginevra's life had been on.

Being such a young age, she didn't really understand what had happened. She was brought up in a house full of merman and not a one of them had any clue how to raise a little girl. So she was raised like all the boys before her, never knowing any other way.

She was their playmate and conspirer. Whenever her brothers were looking for a little good natured mischief, they found her innocent face and large chocolate colored eyes provided a useful distraction to…well, whoever needed distracting.

So the years passed, one just like the next, until about ten months ago, when her world was changed again.

Ten months ago Ginevra turned 16 and a party was planned to celebrate that birthday. But at the party something happened; Ginevra was asked on a date.

And in that moment, Ginevra went from being one of the boys, to an official girl and therefore something her large family of mermen had to protect.

What she found most infuriating was the fact she hadn't even accepted the date! She had no interest in the girly things most mermaids her age were amerced in. How her hair flowed; how red her lips looked; who the young eligible mermen were, these were all things she could care less about. Ginevra was the type of mermaid who would much rather practice her spear aim then get her scales shined. It could all be contributed to being raised like her brothers, but Ginevra was happy with her life and had no desire to change it.

"Ginny!"

With her mind lingering over her recent game of chase, Ginevra was taken by surprise when she heard her name being called from a short distance away. Stopping to turn, her eyes beheld the form of her best friend swimming casually toward her.

"And just how did you manage to sneak off in these scary waters alone young lady?" He inquired.

"I have my ways," she laughed. "And fast fins."

As she swam in his direction, Ginevra took in the sight of the merman before her. As far as mermen went, she had to confess, Lycus was very handsome. He'd shot up over the last year and now floated just over six feet. His shoulders had broadened out and were supported by well built muscles in his arms and chest, as well as a flat, toned stomach. He'd also started letting his hair grow out from its normally short style. The dark brown locks fell almost to his shoulders and she'd told him on several occasions the look suited him well. Though she didn't care about dating, there was no denying if Lycus were any other boy, she may have felt a slight attraction to him. But to her, the merman was like another brother.

For as long as she could remember, Lycus had been a part of her life. Their parents had grown up together and thus, so had their children. Separated in age by a mere two months, he'd been a part of every major milestone and event in her life. She trusted him like no one else, including her brothers. Any secrets she may have, he shared; and vise-versa. Including a rather embarrassing conversation right after the catastrophe she called her 16th birthday.

All her brothers were fond of Lycus. But once they were shocked into accepting she was, in fact, a girl, all six of her intimidating older brothers pulled him aside for a little chat. Although they'd made him swear he wouldn't mention the conversation, Lycus had no intention whatsoever of withholding the information from his best friend.

He'd been interrogated about his intentions with their sister. After swears of violence if he ever got _too_ friendly, the family of red-heads gave him pats on the back and instructions to help keep an eye on the young mermaid. At the time, Lycus admitted he'd been a bit afraid of their building wrath. But once he'd recounted the discussion, being sure to not leave out any details, the mortified look on Ginevra's face helped relieve his own stress over the matter. The whole ordeal had quickly become a joke shared between them.

Ginevra hadn't actually planned on meeting Lycus as she'd told her brothers; she knew saying that would appease them. But she was happy to run into him nevertheless.

"What do you have planned for today?" She asked.

In reply he simply rolled his eyes, and in that same moment an excited squeal accosted her ears. Turning once more, Ginevra spotted the excited form of Elyctra, Lycus' sister, right before she was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Ginny! I'm _so_ glad we ran into you. We're on our way to The Cavern; you _have_ to come with us! Doesn't she Lycus?"

The Cavern was by far the most popular spot for young merfolk to gather. And of all the places she might enjoy spending her day, that _wasn't_ one of them. The only times she ever went was when one of her friends dragged her; Elyctra in particular.

While she'd always thought of Lycus as a brother, Elyctra actually _looked_ like she could've been a sister. With similar red hair and brown tinted eyes, they were often mistaken for relatives. Having two bothers and no sisters herself, Elyctra latched onto the misconception and treated Ginevra like the sister she wished she'd had. Being very girly, Elyctra had been trying for years to force some of her feminine knowledge onto her 'adopted' little sister with no luck. Every since the unfortunate incident ten months ago, Elyctra had doubled her efforts to turn Ginevra into some sort of siren. And as much as she loved Elyctra, Ginevra had been steadily avoiding the mermaid whenever possible because of it.

Ignoring the grimace that crossed Ginevra's face, the older mermaid continued. "It's the second Saturday of the month, and that means Mermeros is playing. You haven't…"

"Wait," Ginevra exclaimed. "It's Saturday?"

Ignoring the fact that she'd been cut off mid sentence Elyctra continued, "…been to hear them in _ages_, so you just have to come."

Shaking out of the momentary stupor she'd found herself in, Ginevra gave a small grin and said, "I'm sorry Elyctra, but I just thought of something I completely forgot to do. I gotta' swim, but I'll meet you there later… if I finish in time, okay." With a pointed look from Lycus indicating he knew very well what she "forgot" Ginevra swam away not giving Elyctra time to rally any sort of protest on the matter.

'_It's Saturday! How could I forget it was Saturday?'_ She admonished, while setting course for the opposite edge of the lake.

Black Lake was host to a wide variety of life, and on her trips through Ginevra always enjoyed taking in the sights that awaited her. The lake was only about a half mile wide, but stretched miles in length; starting from of the grounds of a magical school and emptying out into the turbulent oceans.

She began to see signs of the approaching shore, and with a small grin she quickened her pass, eager to arrive.

Then, finally, she was there.

Surging upward her head rose above the water and she drifted to the rock she visited every Saturday - when the weather was nice. The rock sat underwater and beside it, on the bank of the lakes' ridge, stood several tall trees with long sweeping branches sticking out over the waters edge. When she sat there her face was able to break the surface, leaving the rest of her body hidden; combined with the cover of the branches, it would take a very keen eye to spot anything perched upon her rock.

Settling on the rock, she leaned her back against the tree roots which dived into the water, having broken free from of the earth anchoring them. Looking out toward the end of the lake Ginevra took in the delightful sight that greeted her. _Humans_. Saturdays like this, when it was sunny and warm, Ginevra was always certain to find a large gathering of the humans that went to school at Hogwarts Castle.

Scanning the grounds she noticed several groups had gathered close to the lake. One group seemed to be lying on the ground studying. There was another cluster talking while their legs dangled in the warm water. But it was the third group that most interested her. It was a small huddle of 5 humans; all relaxing under a tree. And in the center, she saw _him_.

Ginevra had first seen _him_, almost five years ago. He seemed to stand out from all the other students, and her eye had instantly been drawn. Every time she came to watch, it was with the hope he would be there.

'_It must've been the hair'_, she thought, that made her notice. His hair was a pale blond; at times it looked almost white.

'_Maybe it was his stance?'_ He always stood tall with his back straight, possessing an air of sophistication that most of the other students lacked.

Whatever the reason, Ginevra had come to enjoy watching him more then any of the other humans she spotted.

Her brother Bill had first shown her this spot almost ten years ago. That earliest visit was the day she caught sight of her first human, and was instantly captivated. Her father had always been intrigued by them, but he was also a bit wary of humans, so Bill made their visits a secret just between them. Of course he'd also made her promise to never visit their spot without him. Both promises had eventually been broken.

According to their father, centuries ago humans had hunted merfolk, mainly for their beautiful iridescent scales. Then, when the human race split into two, those with magic and those without, merpeople became protected and no longer needed to fear the humans. But the two worlds still kept their distances from the other; for the most part.

Ginevra herself had never spoken to a human. The closest she'd ever gotten was her perch on the rock. But she'd seen others who lived in the lake speak to them. Even her father and a few of her brothers had spoken with them on rare occasions.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there watching, but it wasn't until the boy with the pale hair stood and gave a stretch that she became aware how much time had passed.

She'd missed dinner.

"Oh no_",_ she screamed, her father was going to kill her! With a final look at the humans, she dived into the water.

Unfortunately, Ginevra didn't make it all the way home before a group of redheaded mermen swam into her line of vision. The eldest of the lot, her brother Bill, was leading the way and the look on his face left no question of what was coming next.


End file.
